


No Below

by CosmicRiot



Category: Grand Theft Auto V
Genre: Angst, Bodyguard AU, Canon-Typical Violence, Drug Mentions, Hurt/Comfort, I'm tagging the best I can I swear, Slow Burn, gta online au, making this as canon-compliant as I can, mild nsfw jokes, started from the bottom and now we're... here, this is so self indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2020-04-11 12:25:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19109632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicRiot/pseuds/CosmicRiot
Summary: Faith Avadonia owns the most successful club in Los Santos-but that doesn't come without it's own threats and struggles. Unfortunately, it's resulted in her needing a bodyguard, much to her dismay. There's only one man she'd trust enough for the job, and he disappeared four years ago without a trace. But when he shows up once again, life is flipped upside down. For both of them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU for mine and someone very dear to me's GTA characters. He's been bugging me to write this AU for about. Two years now? And finally mentioned an idea that sparked me to start writing. There may be more coming, I may continue this, I may not. Not sure, we'll see about my motivation levels and how life goes.
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy!

Fingers drummed against the plain desktop, as Faith Avadonia watched the camera feeds of her nightclub. The music throbbed and pulsed outside of her office, though she had long since learnt how to tuned it out. Behind her, Gay Tony idly tapped away at his own computer. Likely working on an expense report for Galaxy, she thought idly. She should be working too, but… Well, she was pointedly avoiding going through the stacks of applications on her desk at the moment. 

As if sensing his coworker’s displeasure, Gay Tony spoke up.”You know, that stack of paperwork isn’t going to get up and parade itself around for you, boss.”

“It might as well.” Faith scowled at her screen. “These jerks Lazlow picked for me are so damn narcissistic, I don’t even need to look at their resumes. They brag as soon as they get in the door.”

“It’s called an interview for a reason. They’re supposed to try and impress. But maybe having Lazlow accept applications was your first mistake, boss.”

“Valid.” Faith laid her head on the desk with a soft thunk, lost to the beating of the club’s music. “Remind me why I need a personal bodyguard again?”

Tony’s sarcasm, however, was not lost. “Well boss, because we found you in the basement in a pool of your own blood, with all your money gone and your car stolen! But if you really think you don’t need one, then be my guest!” 

“I told you, my… Business, was infiltrated. They got the jump on me. It won’t be happening again.”

“Because you’re getting a bodyguard, end of story.” 

Faith sighed and minimized the camera feed, showing the desktop of her computer. The only real personal thing about her desk, a selfie of her and her ex partner in crime sitting together in her old, shitty apartment. Faith was holding the camera, while Duncan leaned in, giving a goofy look and holding a cigar. 

She remembered the day well. It was after their first heist together, their first real heist. They called it the Fleeca Job. A measly $143,000 each from the bank they robbed, barely enough to afford a better apartment. And yet… They were so excited, they decided to celebrate with booze and cigars and a trip to the strip club. Before they headed out, Faith snapped a picture of them together. 

It had been five years since that day. Duncan and Faith slowly started rising up through the underground, taking on more jobs and bigger jobs. And then after a year, just as they finished another heist...

Duncan disappeared without a trace. At first, Faith thought something had gone wrong. He didn’t meet at their rendezvous after. She watched and listened, but no body turned up. And no reports of the LSPD capturing an armed robber. 

As a last resort, she went to his apartment. A quick slip of a paper clip into his lock revealed that his apartment was emptied out completely. And a trip down to his garage revealed the same. After that, she went to Lester, who was just as puzzled as she. 

And since then? Silence. Not a word from what she thought was her best friend. It made her heart hurt to think about now… In their industry, disappearing never meant anything good. So Faith assumed the worst. 

She missed him, more than she dared to admit even to herself. With Duncan by her side, she never had to worry about watching her six, and he never had to worry about his. The stupid incident in the basement would have never happened. The whole ordeal with the bodyguards wouldn’t need to be a problem. Duncan would have-

“Uh, Tony?” 

Faith snapped out of her daydreams and looked over, the first thing she saw was those stupid glow shoes. Her fist and jaw clenched involuntarily, eyes narrowed. This was his fault. Lazlow was supposed to escort her down to grab a few crates, but he got distracted by his stupid social media feed, and Faith was attacked on the third level of her basement. And of course- neither of them saw the perp. 

“Easy Tiger.” Tony stood, holding a hand out at Faith. “I swear, it’s like I’m running a zoo sometimes!”

“U-Uh, the next uh… Interviewee? Is here.”

“Yeah, give us a minute kid.” Gay Tony closed the door in his face and turned back to his investor. “Look, I don’t know why you’re so resistant to the idea of a body guard. But finding the owner, murdered, in her own club? That’s gonna be bad for business! So please please please, take a minute to pull your head out of your ass and look at the application. Interview this new douche canoe, and try not to be too harsh.”

Faith took a deep breath and took one more look at her desktop. “... All right. But I’m doing this for Galaxy, you hear?” She turned and gave her coworker a smile. “We don’t want to scare away patrons.”

“That’s our boss! I’ll give you a minute to read. Come out when you’re ready.” Tony left, and like that, she was alone. With a withered sigh, she grabbed the next up applicant and began reading. 

Brock Lee, 28. Four years military experience. Faith rolled her eyes and bit the inside of her cheeks. Chances were, this was another military douche that thought he was hot shit. 

Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a little winking face, crudely drawn in next to the applicants phone number. She already hated him. But, she promised Gay Tony that she’d try, so she’d stay true and give him a try. Gathering her papers and shuffling them into a neat pile, she laid them on her desk and stood, walking to the door. 

The vip area of her nightclub was dark, but she knew Lazlow saw the signal to bring in the new guy when she saw his stupid shoes come closer. She turned back into her office. 

“Go ahead and take a seat there.” She didn’t bother to look as she grabbed the papers from her desk. Glancing over the papers again, she headed into her private lounge that overlooked Galaxy. “Name?”

“Brock Lee, Usako.”

Her call sign from her early days...Faith finally looked up and froze. He was about 5’10, pale. A lot more muscular than she remembered. Dark hair and eyes. 

And before she could stop herself, he was laying on the floor, clutching his jaw. 

“Ow! What the fuck, Faith?!”

“Don’t you ‘what the fuck’ me! Shit, are you okay?!” Faith reaches out and helped him up. 

“Why the hell did you hit me?!”

“Why the hell did you disappear for four years without telling me?!” Faith tried to fiercely fight the angry tears that were now stinging her eyes and shoved the man standing in front of her. Duncan gave her a look- was it pity? Hurt? She wasn’t sure… he took a seat and looked up at her. “You should sit.”

“I’ll stand. Start talking.” She snipped. 

“Do you remember our last heist?”

“Of course I do.” She didn’t say it, but she remembered. The Humane Labs Raid. Four of them broke into the facility, stole some information…

“Do you remember Lester’s contact?”

“Yeah, sure.”  
“He’s with covert operations.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Faith scoffed. 

“You knew?”

“Well… I didn’t, at the time of the heist. But I’ve gotten bigger, since you left.” The words were accusatory once again, as Faith gave a scowl. 

“I know. You’ve made a name for yourself, Usako. I’m proud of you.” 

Taken back by the genuine tone in Duncan’s voice, Faith dropped her defensive stance for a moment. Had he been keeping tabs on her? Or had she really caused such a ripple?

 

“...Keep talkin’.”

“He grabbed me, before I hit the rendezvous. And next thing I know, I’m being held at gunpoint and being told to sign a contract with Fort Zancudo for four years.” 

“Military?!”

“Yeah, I wasn't lying about that part. I’ve got military experience now!”

Faith moved towards him, holding up a hand and putting it flat to his chest. Slowly, she moved it down, keeping it pressed flat. Duncan’s eyes widened as he leaned back in his seat. “Damn Faith, you could have asked if you wanted to feel the new guns.”

“Nah, what I really wanted to feel was that slick little wire under your clothes.” Faith smirked at him, one eyebrow raised. 

“Wha-N-N-IIt’s not sma-I mean- I’m not wearing a wire!” 

Faith couldn’t hold back as she laughed, loud. This time, it was Duncan’s turn to glare as Faith tried to desperately catch her breath and regain her composure. 

“You’re still a little brat! You know that, right? Bitch!”

Faith wiped her eyes, still chuckling. “What? You thought because I’m a big, bad crime lord now, I’m not going to mess with you?”

“Kinda, yeah!”

“Well, you were wrong.” Faith leaned against the private bar top counter. “So four years forced in the military.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry.”

“Why’d you come back?” This time, there was no malice in her voice. Maybe a ting of sadness, but no anger. 

“Why wouldn’t I? I missed you.”

Faith promptly turned away and grabbed the half empty bottle of whiskey sitting on the bartop, fighting back tears again. She gripped the bottle just a little too tight, trying to stop her hands from shaking as she poured. 

“...Things change, you know.” Damn it. Her voice was too soft, she was losing her tough facade she put on in front of her coworkers. She didn’t dare turn around.

“You didn’t miss me…?”

“Of course I did! I spent two years looking for you! I’ve even tried paying Lester to find you, but I couldn’t just sit and hold back. Your apartment was empty, everything was gone, I didn’t know what to do-”Her damn voice cracked, and Faith tried to subtly reach up and wipe her face.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. It’s okay…”

“It wasn’t! I thought you were dead…”

“Faith…”

The two sat in silence for what felt like forever, Faith staring into the glass of whiskey, and Duncan unsure of what to say. 

In the midst of the silence, Gay Tony carefully peeked his head in. “How’s it goi-...ng…” Seeing the state the two were in, he shook his head. “I’ll uh, come back later.”

“...Thanks, Tony.” Faith muttered, and listened for the door to close. 

“I really should get back to interviews.”

“Uh, yeah, about that…I’d like the job.”

“What?” Faith spun around, facing Duncan once again. Surely, he was joking.  
“Yeah! I mean, the army didn’t leave me with a whole lot, and I miss the business, ya know? Plus, it’ll give me a chance to make it up to you.”

Faith stared at Duncan as if he’d grown tentacles from his face. “Do you realize that this is serious? I’m not robbing convenience stores and small banks anymore, Duncan. There are people that want me dead. And a bodyguard… You’re going to be escorting me everywhere. It’s not heists and raids and running from the cops all the time, anymore.” Faith stared him in the eyes. “I’d be basically asking you to die for me, if it comes down to it.” And she hated it. Her business was her own, she had risen to the top while simultaneously digging her grave further and further. She had known what and who she was dealing with, who she was stealing from and who she was ripping off and hurting. She wasn’t playing a child’s game, anymore. 

“I know. I’ve been keeping tabs.” Duncan replied smoothly. “I’ve made up my mind, and I want in… If you’ll let me in, that is.”

Faith took a deep breath. Duncan, back in their beginning days, had always had her back. No matter what. In a world where no one was to be trusted and anyone could turn, no matter what, Faith never thought for a second that Duncan would stab her in the back. And if he had been with the military this whole time, and she was still there, her operations going smoothly with no scrutiny from the government… Then he was as loyal as ever.

“Alright. You’re in.”

“Really?!”

“Yup.” Faith finally took the shot of whiskey, trying to soothe her now frayed and anxious nerves. “I’m sick of interviewing these assholes, and if Lazlow brings me another one, I’m punching him in the face.” 

“God help that man. My jaw still hurts.”

The first words on Faith’s tongue was an apology, but honestly, she needed a boost to her pride right now. Instead, she opted to smirk at him. “Better get used to it, bodyguard. You’re gonna be taking hits from a lot of people.”

Duncan groaned. “Hell of a sign on bonus.”

Faith rolled her eyes and moved in, giving her old friend a hug. “...I’m glad to have you back.”

“Glad to be back, Usako.”


	2. Begrudgingly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith now has to face her new life- being escorted everywhere and having a new shadow. She’s not happy about it, but it does have its perks.

_“Nothing like a bourgeois bank robber to remind me of how strange Los Santos has become. IN MY DAY! Psychos at least had the decency to be psychotic!”_

__

__

_Faith jumped slightly and decided to tune out Lester, instead focusing on the man he had brought with him. To be honest, she wasn’t happy that Lester had brought a stranger to her apartment. She’d rather do this… A bit less at her own discretion. But she assumed this would be her partner for the upcoming heist. Giving him a once over, he didn’t seem like much… Then again, neither did she. It was fair to assume they were both in the same boat._

_Lester took a minute to go through something on his phone, and Duncan moved over to stand by Faith._

_“Nines.” Duncan held his hand out. Faith stared for a minute intently, before realizing that must be the man’s chosen call sign.She grasped his hand firmly and answered with her own. “Usako.”_

_“Pleasure to meet you, Usako.” He gave a charming smile, and Faith had to admit that he was good looking. She gave a slight smile back and looked back to Lester, who was suggesting they get a move on to begin casing the joint. Faith nodded and let Lester leave first, gesturing for Duncan to follow. He stopped at the door and held it open for her instead. “Ladies first~”_

_A part of her wanted to argue, it was her apartment. But there didn’t seem to be any malicious intent, so Faith thanked him with a smile. ___

__

__

__

__

…..

Faith woke with a start on her couch, head pounding in time with the strong knocking on her apartment door. The scent of coffee and vodka mixed made her stomach turn and twist,the room spinning around her. Gripping the back of the couch, she took a second to gain her bearings and figure out what in the hell happened to her. 

The spilt bottle of vodka on her table brought the memories back. The club, the interview, Duncan returning… Faith had definitely needed a drink after all was said and done. It seemed she had gone a bit overboard.

The knocking on her door was not helping her hangover, but she refused to open the door without knowing who was there. Grabbing the remote, which was now slightly sticky, she flipped through to her security cameras and caught sight of the man in question standing at her door. 

“Just a minute!” She called. She stood woozily, wincing at the ongoing headache and grabbed a few paper towels, sopping up the mess as best as she could. Then finally, she made her way to the door and opened it. 

“Geez, took you long enough.” Duncan remarked as he walked into the apartment. Faith scowled at him. 

“Took you long enough, Army Boy.”

“Ouch. Fair enough.” Duncan grimaced and sat down. Faith immediately felt bad and took a deep breath. “...Sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“So what are you doing here?” 

“Tony told me to come by and get you. He gave me a rundown and said that I’m basically to be your escort.”

Faith scowled. “I don’t need an escort to and from my club.”

“What, you don’t want to see me?” Duncan frowned at her. 

“It’s not that! I just…. Tony is going way overboard with this whole security detail thing! I’m fine! I can handle myself!”

“I know.”

_‘What do you know?’_ Faith bit back the hurtful comment before it escaped her mouth. Instead, she gave a weary sigh. “I need some coffee.” 

As she made herself coffee, Faith took a moment to reflect on her current situation. She really couldn’t believe Duncan was back, like nothing had happened at all… it was surreal. She had really thought, for a while that he wasn’t coming back, whatever that may mean. 

“Hey uh… why is the table sticky?” Faith was pulled from her thoughts instantly. 

“... Don’t worry about it.” 

“Were you drinking?” He sounded concerned. Faith scoffed. It was sweet, but of course she drank a little. It was a rough night. “Please don’t do the whole worried thing right now. I’m dealing with a lot. I’m fine.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Absolutely not.” Bailey’s in her coffee was starting to sound like a good idea, but sadly, she knew she had work today. Just because it was daytime, didn’t mean that Galaxy didn’t need her there. 

Speaking of, a quick glance at the clock told her she needed to get ready for work and head in.

“Faith…”

“Not right now. I need to get ready for work.” Faith clenched her jaw for a second and tried to soften up. “... I’ll talk to you about it later.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” Likely not, but it would give her time for now. With a nod, Faith descended downstairs, Duncan standing and following her. Faith once again scowled. “You don’t need to follow me to get dressed.”

“Your whole apartment is glass windows on one side. Easy to snipe right through.” Duncan explained cooly, ever patient with Faith’s complaining.

“And you think you’d be fast enough to push me out of the way of a sniper’s bullet?’ Faith rolled her eyes.

“Believe me, I know the signs of a sniper.”

Faith wanted to call him on that, but what did she know of his skills now, truly? What did she really know about Duncan anymore? Four years changes a lot…

_‘What do you know?’_

Faith squashed her anxiety and hypocrisy the best she could, before things got too out of hand. She had barely been up half an hour, and her emotions were taking her on a roller coaster. She needed to keep her head on straight.

“You alright?” Duncan asked, genuine concern in his voice. “You were zoning out there. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“No, no. I’m fine.” Faith huffed. “You stay in the bedroom. I’ll change in the closet.”

“Whatever you say, boss~” Duncan gave her a grin, flopping on her bed. Faith headed into the walk in closet and grabbed the first thing she put her hands on and threw it on. Heading back out, she gave a nod to Duncan and headed back up to leave her apartment.

“My car is parked out front.” Duncan followed behind like a shadow. 

Faith gave a snort. “Congratulations.” And smacked the button for the level to her personal garage. Immediately, she could feel Duncan giving her a look that she had neither forgotten nor missed. “...What?”

“My vehicle is armoured and bulletproof. It would be safer.”

“Just because your motorcycle has armour and bulletproof tires, doesn’t mean it’s safer than an actual car. Besides, I’m driving myself.”

“You wanna drive? Fine. I know you’re shit at shooting in a vehicle anyway.” Duncan skillfully ignored Faith’s scowl and continued. “But we’re taking my ride. End of discussion.”

Faith pinched the bridge of her nose and huffed slightly, weighing her options. “Tell you what. If I go out there, and I don’t like what I see, then we take my ride. Got it?”

Duncan held up his hands with a grin. “You’re the boss.”

“Certainly don’t feel like it, these days…” Faith grumbled under her breath, hitting the button for the ground floor instead. As the elevator moved, Faith took a second to really look at Duncan for the first time since his return. He looked… Really good. More built than the last time she saw him, four years ago. The literal definition of tall, dark and handsome, and those pale blue eyes that always got to her-

Faith mentally smacked herself and shook her head. Absolutely not. She was not going down that road again. Duncan had left, and four years did a lot to people. Whatever feelings that were in the past were staying exactly there, and that was final. 

The elevator finally opened, and immediately, the black, armored muscle car caught Faith’s eye. “Is that…?”

“Oh yeah.” Duncan turned and tossed the keys at her. “Still wanna drive?”

“Fuck yes.” Faith managed to catch the keys and grinned. Maybe this wouldn’t be too bad after all. 

————————————————————-

The drive was glorious, albeit short. Faith’s mood certainly perked up as she got to drive the muscle car. She was almost sad that her nightclub was just a short drive away.

Pulling into the garage, Faith glanced over to Duncan, who appeared to be lost in thought. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.” Duncan shook himself slightly and got out of the car, motioning for Faith to stay put. Faith huffed and sat back against the Duke O Death’s seat, watching as he scanned the garage for any signs of life. When he was finally satisfied, he went back to the car and opened the door for her. “Boss~”

“... Thank you.” Faith stepped out and stretched a little, passing back the keys. “Thanks for letting me drive. It’s a nice ride.” 

“Thanks.” Duncan stayed ahead of her, leading her into her office. 

Before she even had a chance to sit down, Gay Tony was on her. “Oh thank god you’re here! Those fucking assholes at Bahamas Mama’s intercepted our delivery and stole it!”

“The alcohol delivery?” Faith’s eyes widened. 

“Yes, the alcohol delivery! What other delivery did we have scheduled?!” Gay Tony took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “We don’t have enough time to get more.”

“Fuck that. I’ll get back the shipment.”

“How?”

Faith pulled a combat pistol out of her waistband, cocking it back. “Please, Tony. Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answer to.”

“Oh good god. I don’t want to know. Take your body guard.” Gay Tony dramatically sat in his office chair. “Come back safe.”

“Will do.” Faith flashed a grin at him, then looked to Duncan, who was looking more than a little concerned. 

“Okay look. Don’t even try to stop me. They stole my supplies, they’re getting fucking hit.”

“... Fair enough. Let’s go.”


	3. Little Lion Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith and Duncan get back their supplies, but at a cost.

“So tell me more about this… Bahama Mama?” 

“Bahama Mamas.” Faith’s brown eyes never left the road. “They’re, as stupid as it sounds, our “rival” night club. Constantly causing issues with trying steal business… Stealing supplies is a new one.”

“That’s surprising.”

“Yeah. I’d like to make this an example, if you catch my drift.” Faith’s eyes narrowed, and it certainly didn’t go unnoticed by her companion. Reaching in the backseat, he pulled out what appeared to be a pump shotgun. “Got it.”

“Good. We’re pulling up on location.”

“Here. Got you a little something too.” Pulling another weapon from the backseat, Duncan held it up. Faith smiled at the sight of the assault shotgun. “Aw, how’d you know?”

“A hunch.” Duncan grinned at her, making sure it weapons were loaded and raring to go. Then, he pulled a tactical mask from the glove box and put it on. “Ready.”

“Jeez, what all do you keep in here?” 

“Always good to be prepared.” 

“Fair enough. We’re here.” The Duke O’Death drifted, coming to a perfect stop at the sidewalk. Duncan looked around, surveying the area. “The truck is tucked back there, between those two cars. There’s a dozen of them guarding it.”

“Roger. We go in, we take them out fast. Leave no time for them to get the jump on us.” Faith made sure her weapon was loaded and ready. 

“Take them out?” Duncan frowned at her. 

“What do you suggest?” 

“I could go in there right now and knock them out using stealth. We wouldn’t have to shoot anyone!”

“No way. Half of them are sitting around bullshitting, there’s no way you wouldn’t be spotted.” Faith was resolute. “Let’s go.” And with that, she got out of the car before Duncan could protest. 

Faith wasted no time in attacking, shooting down three of the club members before the others scrambled for their own guns and cover. Duncan quickly followed suit, taking down two more as they peaked out from cover. 

Faith took cover behind a short brick wall, listening to the shots attempting to reach her. Willing her hands to stop shaking, she took a deep breath and stood, taking down another, his buddy falling before she had a chance to take the next shot. 

“Move up!” Duncan motioned forward, and Faith ran up, taking cover against some metal girders that were laying in the lot. More gunshots, and yells as Duncan pressed forward. 

Faith saw her chance and darted for the truck, doing her best to stay behind cover and unseen. She made it to the door and went to open it, but was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. Immediately, she scrambled to grab the gun that clattered from her hands, but it was just out of reach. Her assailant went to kick the young woman in the stomach, and Faith quickly curled up, bracing herself for impact. 

Instead, she heard a grunt and the unmistakable sound of a gun stock making contact with someone’s jaw, a body hitting the ground next to her. 

“Usako!” 

Faith looked up slowly, seeing Duncan holding his hand out to her. She grabbed it, allowing him to help pull her back to her feet again. 

“Get in! Go!” And with that, he ran to the other side of the truck. Faith grabbed her gun and lunges for the driver side door, hopping in and was delighted to find the keys were already in the ignition. Duncan got in on her right, and Faith took off, peeling down the street. 

They drove in silence for a moment, both of them catching their breath and processing what had just happened. After what seemed like forever, Duncan finally spoke. 

“What the hell, Faith?”

“What?”

“You’re resorting to fucking killing people for shitty alcohol? That’s not like you! That’s not like you at fucking all!”

Faith pressed her lips together, knuckles turned white from how hard she was gripping the steering wheel. 

“Faith. Answer me, or I quit and walk.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I’ll walk. You’ll never see me again.”

The truck swerved, and Duncan grabbed the bar, holding on as Faith suddenly came to a stop. He was half expecting her to tell him to get out, considering how his ex partner in crime had been acting since his return. 

Instead, Faith hunched over the wheel, still not letting it go, and Duncan realized she was trembling violently. 

“Faith…?”

“... I fucked up, Duncan.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I fucked up bad.”

“What happened?” 

Faith remained quiet, still slumped over with her head resting in the wheel. Still shaking. 

“Please, talk to me, Usako…”

Faith took a shaky breath. “...I got in with a bad crew. They told me that we were just going up to meet some of their buddies… They wanted me to drive. When we got there, it was a fucking set up. Undercover blues. There was a chase, and the car got fucking torched… But we got away.”

“Why is that a fuck up?”

“There was coke in the trunk they were trying to deliver. They roughed me up, told me that if I didn’t pay them back for their losses, they’d kill me.”

Duncan’s eyes darkened. “... How much?”

“At the time? … Two mil.”

“Faith…”

“The nightclub was just starting. I was trying to get more patronage… Now, the profits just barely cover the payments. If I miss a single one…” Faith went pale, finally removing her hands from the wheel and holding herself. Her sentence remained unfinished. 

Duncan scooted across the seat and grabbed Faith, holding her close. “Oh my god…”

“I… Ive still got 1,200,000 left. Lest hasn’t had anything for me lately. I don’t know what to do!” Faith broke down sobbing. “All I can do is try to run the club and hand over whatever I can, but it’s not enough… They’re too powerful, I can’t just kill them, more will come and I-“

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. It’s okay, Usako. We’ll figure this out.” Duncan held her as she sobbed. Though he told her it would be okay, he had no idea how to get Faith out of her situation. All he could do was try and comfort his friend as she cried. 

Eventually, Faith got herself under control and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to break down on you.” She sniffled. 

“It’s okay. We’ll get it figured out, I promise.” Duncan rubbed her back gently and gave it a pat. “For now, lets just get this back to the club where it belongs.”

“Yeah… You uh… you go ahead and drive. I don’t… think I’m in a good place right now.”

“Of coarse.” With an almost practiced ease, the two switched spots. Faith was reminded of all the times they had switched, when she had gotten tired on long night drives up to Paleto Bay to Duncan’s night club, or when they needed to run and he had an idea whereas she didn’t. 

She missed those days. She really wished they could go back to how it used to be, when it felt like them against the world. When he was all she trusted, when they were reckless and stupid but always had each other’s backs. Now… she wasn’t sure where they stood at all. 

Faith realized tears were falling again, and she wiped her eyes, trying to be subtle. If Duncan noticed, he didn’t let on at all. He continued driving as Faith reached over and turned on the radio. 

 

_“Tremble for yourself, my man,  
You know that you have seen this all before  
Tremble little lion man,  
You'll never settle any of your scores  
Your grace is wasted in your face,  
Your boldness stands alone among the wreck  
Now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck_

_But it was not your fault but mine  
And it was your heart on the line  
I really fucked it up this time  
Didn’t I my dear?  
Didn’t I my dear?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons.


	4. Partners in Crime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Walls comes crashing down, as Faith wonders about the future.

The duo arrived to see Gay Tony standing in the garage, looking concerned. The second he saw the truck pull in, he threw his arms up, looking relieved. Duncan parked the truck and turned it off, jumping out. Faith took a second, taking a deep breath, then followed suit. 

“Thank god! Just in time, you guys are safe, thank the heavens, and guests ar- have you been crying, boss?”

“Asshole got the jump on me and kicked me good.” Faith lied smoothly. “Made me tear up a little.”

“Ah. Well, I’m glad to see you’re alright. See, I told you a bodyguard was a good choice! Otherwise it would have been a lot worse.”

“You don’t even know what happened!” She retorted. 

“He won’t be getting up any time soon, Tony.” Duncan grinned. Faith grumbled a little and moved past them, heading into her office to begin preparing for the night. 

It wasn’t long at all before Duncan followed. “What next, boss?”

“Um…” Faith looked around. “Best thing we could do right now is grab the beer and get it to the bartenders. Then see if they need anything else. Make sure the DJ is set up for the night and if they need anything.”

“You got it boss. And hey.” Duncan grabbed Faith’s arm, stopping her before the young woman could run off on him. His eyes scanned hers for a moment, and he was surprised to see that she didn’t pull away or snark at him. She just looked back, calmly. He took a deep breath, feeling like he had maybe already made just a little progress in breaking down the walls she had built. 

“... It’s going to be okay. We’re going to find a way out of this.” 

Faith opened her mouth, eyebrows furrowed as if she had a counter. Before she could get a word in, Gay Tony came in. “My girl! We need to go over some expense reports. Do you have a second?”

“Ah…” she glanced to Duncan. “Can you handle unloading by yourself?”

Duncan scoffed. “Please. It’s way lighter than military gear. I can manage.”

“Alright. Sorry to leave you to the heavy work…” 

“It’s all good.” He gave her a grin. “Go get your work done.”

“We open up at 11, so meet back there at 10.” Gay Tony shook hands with Duncan. “Thank you again, we’re just so happy to have you aboard.” 

“Happy to be here, Gay Tony.” Duncan gave a salute and went off to unload the alcohol.

In the meantime, Gay Tony turned to Faith with a grin, sitting in his office chair. “So. How’s the new body guard going?”

Faith folded her arms over her chest, chewing on her lip with a glare. “...Does he really have to escort me everywhere?”

“We’ve been over this, Faith. He’s a body guard, not a regular employee. He’s there to make sure you don’t get killed. Besides.” Tony’s grin grew. “I saw the way you look at him when you thought no one was looking.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“Nothing, nothing.” Tony held his hands up. “Forget I said anything.”

Faith glared once again and sat at her chair, grabbing a folder of reports and opening it. She stared for a moment before speaking up. “What if he gets drafted back in, suddenly?”

Gay Tony chuckled. “Are you asking because you’re worried he won’t be able to do his job, or are you asking because you’re scared?”

Faith frowned and worried at her lip. “I…”

“Do you want to talk about what happened? It might help you figure your shit out”

“Thank you but… No. I don’t… I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fine, fine.” The grin never left Tony’s face, as if he knew something that she did not. Faith stared hard for a moment before turning back to the report. 

—————————————————————

Faith had been left to go over reports on her own, Gay Tony going to check the sound hook ups for the DJ’s stage. She didn’t hear the office door open, or the footsteps come up behind her. 

“What are you doing?” 

Faith gasped and jumped, dropping the papers she was holding all over the floor. “Duncan!”

“Ah shit, sorry.” Duncan leaned down to grab the papers, as Faith did the same. “It’s alright.”

“You feeling okay?”

“Yeah! Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Faith shook her head a little, as if trying to clear a fog. Duncan frowned at her. 

“We’re opening up right now. So we have time to sit and talk… if you need to.” 

“I’m fine.” Faith snipped, sitting back down. Duncan sighed, unsure if she was just focused on her work, or the walls were back up. 

“Usako…” He started gently, deciding to press the situation as gently as he could. “You can talk to me, you know. I’ve always been there for you before.”

“Except you weren’t! You disappeared, without a word, for years!” Faith exploded, slamming down her papers. “And now you’re back, acting like everything’s perfectly fucking normal! How am I supposed to take that?!” She stood, sending her desk chair spinning away as she turned away, rubbing her head. Her voice cracked slightly as she lowered her tone, trying to get herself back under control. “... How do I know it won’t happen again? How do I know that Agent 14 won’t pull something else like that?” 

“Faith…” Duncan was stunned into silence, if only for a moment. “...I promise you, it won’t happen. I went off the radar after I left, so…I should be in the clear.”

Faith looked skeptically at him. “He found me. What makes you think he won’t find you?”

“...He talked to you?” Duncan growled. 

“Yeah, he called me and told me that I was leaving a big footprint. Called me an idiot. Then said I should buy a bunker off of Maze Banks.”

“Tell me you didn’t.” Duncan grabbed Faith’s arms, making her look at him. Faith frowned, stepping back slightly. 

“...No. I opted to buy this place, instead.”

“Promise me that you won’t in the future.” 

Faith opened her mouth to argue, as she wanted to know what gave him the right to decide what she did and didn’t do with her time and money. But she had never seen such a dark, intense look on her friend’s face before. It made her gut twist and wretch, her chest pang for just a moment. 

“Alright, alright. I promise that I won’t.”

“I mean it, Faith. Don’t get any more involved with him than we already have.”

“Nines.” The nickname felt wrong, thick and foreign on her tongue, but it caught Duncan’s attention. Faith hesitantly grabbed his arms in return, making sure to catch his eye and maintain contact. “I promise that I won’t get involved with the bunkers, or get involved with him if I can help it.”

Duncan visibly relaxed, his hands slowly falling away from Faith’s arms. Faith, however, maintained her hold on his arms. 

“What?” He asked, looking in her brown eyes. Faith hesitated once again, unsure of how to voice her worries. 

“... What about you? Will you get involved with him again?” 

Duncan shook his head. “No… I promise. I won’t.” He met her eyes once again and gave his signature charming grin. “I’m all yours.”

Faith scoffed and pushed him away lightly. Duncan laughed, teasing her just a little. “I see you blushing.”

“Am not. It’s just warm in here.” There was no malice in her voice now, much to Duncan’s joy. Faith looked out the vip section’s window and hummed thoughtfully. “... It’s been a long day. Tony’s got things covered here. What do you say we call it a night and head to my apartment?”

“You’re the boss.” Duncan smiled

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_One. Two. Three. Four. Faith counted the cameras as she shot them out, holding her breath as Nines passed and standing guard. The bank customers were screaming, and she shot just above their heads. “Get the fuck on the floor and don’t move!” She heard herself yell. She also kept an eye on the teller. “Hit the alarm, and I’ll blow your fucking head off! Get on the FUCKING ground, and stay there!”_

_The teller put his hands behind his head and stepped back, not getting on the ground like she had demanded. Faith bared her teeth and shot at the teller window, shattering it. The teller dropped to his knees, visibly shaking. Faith could hear his whimpering mixed in with the three patrons, two to her left, one to her right. What was louder has her own pulse in her ears as adrenaline flooded her systems, making her own hands quiver. She gripped her gun tighter. She could already hear Nines drilling. Wouldn’t be long now._

_One of the ones to her left shifted, and Faith saw that her hand was going towards her pocket. Faith stomped over and kicked the young woman in the stomach, hard. “Don’t try to be a fucking hero, lady!”_

_The woman cried out, dropping her hands behind her back. Faith looked around and pointed her gun at the other two she was holding hostage. “Anyone else want to try anything funny? Because next time-” She shot the potted plant next to the one on her right, shattering the pot and sending glass flying. “I won’t be so fucking nice!”_

_“I got it, let’s go!” Nines yelled. Faith cocked her gun and ran out, hopping in the armoured kuruma. By the time Nines jumped in, the ignition was already on. Faith punched the gas, and they took off._

_Half a mile down the road, there was already a police block, and Faith idly wondered how they got set up so fast. No matter. A hard jerk to the right, into the dirt and right around before the cops could even register what had happened. Over the radio, she heard Lester tell her another was ahead and made a hard turn, up the hill. “Hold on!” In her peripheral, she saw Nines grab the bar._

_Faith saw the blockade to her left and held her breath, waiting until they were just passed, then veering the car off the hill. A quick prayer while they were in midair, and then they were back on the ground, and Faith didn’t even think before she kept going, the bridge just in sight. She could hear Nines whooping, but didn’t join in. They weren’t in the clear just yet. Not when she could hear the thud of police bullets hitting the armour of the kuruma._

_Luckily, the armour held up enough for Faith to get to the bridge, the cargobob entering sight. A straight shot down. She put the pedal to the floor, going just under it. The huge magnet sucked them up, and they were airborne. Faith let her hands off the wheel, staring at the road in disbelief as it got smaller and smaller. The thumping stopped._

_“We did it!” Duncan yelled, laughing._

_Faith started laughing too, still in shock. “Holy shit! We fucking did it!” In her excitement, she leaned over and hugged the man she just robbed a bank with. She felt invincible, like they could do anything in that moment, even though her heart was beating out of her chest and her hands shook like a leaf._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith shows Duncan the basement below the nightclub, preparing to make a good sized sale.

Weeks passed, and Duncan was adjusting well to his new found position. Faith still struggled a little with her newfound shadow, but she was slowly opening up more to her old friend. The club was running smoothly, with no interference from the rival club. After three months, Faith decided it was finally time to show Duncan the basement. It was around closing, the club was empty except for staff, cleaning up and shutting down for the night when she grabbed him.

“Duncan.”

“What’s up?” 

“I want to show you something. Follow me.”

“Uh… Sure.” Duncan followed as Faith led him to her office, going over to the elevator that hadn’t opened once since he had been hired. Faith hit the down button, and it opened immediately. Duncan followed as she stepped in, and chuckled when she pressed the button to go down and immediately shoved herself in the corner, holding on to the railing. “Still not a fan of elevators?”

“Shut up.” Faith didn’t even move. Duncan chuckled and stepped in next to her, the doors closing behind him. He stood to her right, keeping an eye on her to make sure she was okay. As much as he teased, he knew Faith didn’t like elevators. Plus, it gave him an excuse to check her out without her noticing. She had gotten more lean in the last three years, building more muscle from doing god knows what. She wore more form fitting clothes, compared to the jeans and loose fitting shirts she wore in the past, and kept her hair short, framing her face. She had looked great back then, and she looked great now. 

The elevator opened into a large, open white room, filled with boxes upon boxes. It seemed they were underground, as there were no windows in the room. 

“What’s this?” Duncan asked, looking around. Faith stepped out, crossing her arms over her chest. “This is my side business that keeps the club afloat.”

“The box industry?”

“No.” Faith rolled her eyes. “It’s… Cargo. And shipments.” 

“Cargo and…? Oh. _Oh._ ”

Faith gave a nod, glad that her partner understood. “Yeah. We have a shipment ready to go tomorrow, and I’ll need you to come with me to help deliver it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I was watching.” Faith didn’t elaborate further. “We need to load up the van for the morning, so grab a few crates and put them in the elevator, and we’ll load them into the van. Dollies are over here.” Faith led Duncan over to where they were stored, grabbing one herself. They began loading up, a technician coming and helping them load as well.

“So how much do you usually get for all this?” Duncan asked as they moved the crates. Faith pondered for a second. 

“Usually around 100k. Tony usually takes 10% finders fee. And of coarse, since you’ll be guarding me as I make the drops, I’ll give you a bonus as well.” 

“I appreciate that.” Duncan gave her a nod. Faith nodded back and continued. “It’s usually fairly easy stuff. Not too risky, as long as we keep our heads down. Tony’s just worried, with the incident a few months ago. But we haven’t had anything else happen, so I’m not overly concerned.”

Duncan frowned. “We’d still better be careful.” 

Faith stepped into the elevator with the now loaded supplies, the technician and Duncan following her. “I think it’ll be alright. Like I said, just a precaution.” Faith gave him a reassuring smile, but that didn’t put Duncan’s mind at ease. Faith wasn’t taking this serious, and he prayed it didn’t get her hurt. Not that he’d ever let that happen. 

The elevator reached Faith’s office, and the three began unloading. The van sat in her garage, back doors and the driver side open, keys in the ignition. “Ah, good. Vinny made the drop alright.” Faith noted, as she loaded in the crates. She began to hum along to the radio playing from her open office door as they loaded the crates into the van.

As they got to the last few crates, Faith spoke to the technician. “Go ahead and head home. We’ll load up the rest. Thanks for your help, Vinny.”

“Yes, ma’am. See you later.” Vinny gave a mock salute and smiled, heading off. Faith grinned and kept working, now full on singing as she worked. 

_“Somebody wake up my heart, light me up, set fire to my soul, yeah. 'Cause' I can't do it anymore~  
Gimme that can't sleep love~ I want that can't sleep love~”_

Duncan chuckled. “I always did love hearing you sing.”

Faith snorted. “Why? I’m not that good at it.”

“Yes you are. Don’t lie.” Duncan grinned, hefting the last crate into the van. “You have a great voice.”

Faith laughed and hopped out of the back of the van, doing a little dance. Duncan gave a chuckle. “Someone is in a good mood tonight.”

“Things have been going good. And I have full confidence that things will go smooth tomorrow, too.” Faith smiled. Duncan chuckled. “Would you be mad if I danced too?”

“Not at all. You’ve always been a better dancer.” Faith laughed again, holding out her hand. Duncan took her hand, taking the lead in her little shenanigans. It was true, she wasn’t a very good dancer, but she could follow him easily.

_“Maybe I'm too picky, honey (Uh huh)_  
But I'm not in the world you're in (hah, hah, hah)  
I'm not in it for the money, ooh  
I'm your looking for the real thing” 

The radio continued. Faith found herself leaning in closer, enjoying herself as they danced and she continued to sing. 

_“Kissin' in the moonlight_  
Movies on a late night  
Gettin' old, yeah  
I've been there, done that  
Supposed to be hot  
But it's just cold  
Somebody wake up my heart  
Light me up  
Set fire to my soul  
'Cause' I can't do it anymore~!” 

Duncan found himself entranced by the young woman’s voice, having fun dancing. Slowly, he leaned in, moving closer to her face, unable to help himself. Faith moved in, going to meet him halfway. 

“We’re all closed up! Another successful night, eh? Haha, woo!” Lazlow stumbled in, obviously drunk. Faith pulled back and groaned. “Uhg. Can you go call that idiot a cab? I’ll close up here.”

Duncan sighed, stepping back. “Yeah, alright. Meet ya back here.” He grabbed Lazlow, pushing him with a bit more force force than necessary. 

Faith watched them go and thought about what just happened. Were they really about to kiss? What was she thinking? He wasn’t into her like that, and she had moved on. She was reading too much into the situation. They were just friends… shaking her head, she slammed the doors of the van shut. She then moved up to the driver’s seat, leaning in and grabbing the keys from the ignition. She sighed and stood up straight, stretching and giving a yawn. 

All of a sudden, Faith was grabbed from behind, an arm grabbing and squeezing her waist. A hand pressed against her mouth and nose. Faith immediately began struggling, bringing her elbow down as hard as she could into her assailants ribcage. She heard a loud grunt and was let go, stumbling forward into the van. There was nowhere to go. She whipped around, ready to fight, and was met face to face with Vinny. 

“Vinny?! What the hell!”

A knife was pressed to her throat. “Give me the van keys. Now.”

Faith held her ground, staring the technician in the eyes. The technician glared, the knife pressing further into her skin. “Don’t test me-“

The sound of footsteps interrupted, and they heard Duncan call out. “Faith? Where’d you go?”

“OVER HERE!” She screamed, taking a chance to shove away Vinny. He stumbled back, charging Faith. 

Duncan ran into motion, seeing Faith pinned against the van seat and Vinny forcing the keys from her hand. He didn’t even have to think as he punched the tech, knocking him away from the woman. Faith stumbled back, moving out of Duncan’s path as he went for Vinny. Vinny tried to swing with the knife in his hand, but Duncan caught the man’s forearm and brought up his knee, hitting him in the stomach. Vinny grunted again, dropping the blade and stumbling back again. 

His eyes were wide as they went from Duncan to the van, deciding in a split second to make a run for it. Duncan intercepted him, grabbing the guy by his neck and slamming his head off the side of the van with enough force to dent the vehicle. Duncan dropped him to the ground, where he stayed, unmoving. The sound of labored breathing filled the room. “Are you okay?”

Duncan turned to Faith, only to see that she was the opposite of okay. Blood dripped from a decent size cut on her neck. Not deep enough to kill, but enough to be painful. Her hand was pressed tightly to her stomach, red quickly spreading from around her palm. She was breathing heavily, eyes wide and face paler than a sheet. Her whole body was shaking, and she dropped to her knees under her own weight. 

“NO!” Duncan barely registered that he yelled, running to her before he could even think. He grabbed her shoulder with one hand to support her, the other hand clutched over hers to try and help stop the bleeding. Faith whimpered at the added pressure. 

“Shhh, shhhhh, I know, I know it hurts, just keep holding on, okay?” Duncan kept his grip on her. “Fuck.” His mind raced, trying to think of what to do. Luckily, he remembered that Tony was still in the office, sitting with Lazlow until the cab arrived. “TONY! HELP!!”

It only took Tony 30 seconds to run out, but it felt to Duncan like a lifetime. “What the hel-Oh my god!” Gay Tony exclaimed. 

“Call an ambulance! Now!” Duncan barked. “She’s hurt, bad!”

Gay Tony grabbed his phone, calling 911. Faith whimpered again, her eyes closing. “Oh god no, Faith, don’t you fucking dare. Faith. Faith, stay awake, okay? Don’t close your eyes.”

Faith’s vision blurred as she struggled to stay awake, she could barely hear over the sound of blood rushing through her ears and her own heart pounding in her chest. The pain made it hard to focus. Instead, she tried to focus on Duncan’s voice. Everything was fading out. 

“Just got… back… lose… soon… Please…” 

The sound of sirens was the last thing she heard before everything faded to black.


	6. Out Loud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious text leads Faith upstate, to a dilapidated old gas station.

_Faith stood in front of the dilapidated old gas station, staring at her phone and wondering if this was the right place. ‘Meet me at 101 Route 68 in Great Chapparal. The old gas station.” However, it looked like the place had been gutted and abandoned years ago. She frowned at her phone, then looked back at the building, then texted a simple message back. ‘Here.’ And with that, she waited._

_It only took two minutes for the door to swing open, Nines standing in the door way. “Holy shit, you actually came!”_

_“What’s… going on?”_

_“Come in and I’ll show you.” Nines grinned, moving aside to let her in._

_The inside was decorated with motorcycle memorabilia, and a mural with a naked woman on a motorcycle, as well as a bar and a garage filled with a few motorcycles. Faith looked around. “So uh… into motorcycles?”_

_“I’m starting a motorcycle club. It pays well, and it’ll be badass. You in?”_

_“Pays well? I wasn’t aware being a part of a gang paid.” Faith folded her arms over her chest._

_“Aw, come on Usako, don’t be like that. It’s not a gang. It’s a clubhouse. We’ll do contracts for money.”_

_Faith’s curiosity spiked. “Oh really? What would the work be like?”_

_“A lot of protection details, a little bit of gun running, stuff like that.”_

_Faith mulled it over. It didn’t seem like a bad prospect, she had worked well with Nines… And she could use the money. “Alright. Deal.”_

_“Well since you’re the first one on board, welcome to Hogriders, Vice President Usako!” He held out his hand, and Faith grasped and shook it, a bit harder than he expected her to be able to._

_“Faith.”_

_“What?”_

_Faith gave him a mischievous smile. “If we’re gonna work together, you need to know what to sign my checks to. Faith.”_

_“You know this is more of an under the table gig, right?”_

_Faith stared for a minute, making Nines look away. “...My name is Duncan.”_

_“Duncan? That’s a nice name.”_

_“Uh… Thanks.”_

_“Thank you.” Faith looked around. “I think this will be the start to a wonderful business.”_

_\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_The club was small, with Faith and Duncan being the only two members. And yet, they were good at what they did, contracts were plentiful, and the money was decent. And Faith found herself honestly having fun with it. Duncan was fun to hang around, and they got along well. It wasn’t long before Lester called again._

_They were sitting in the clubhouse, getting ready to go out when Faith’s phone rang. She looked at the screen and frowned, hitting the answer button and putting it on speaker._

_“How you doing? Listen, I’m working on something… Something interesting, I think. But I need a little time. Anyway, I got a request, through the ether, so to speak. Someone’s looking for a crew, to take a score, but II- don’t know anymore. I thought you and your buddy might be interested.”_

_“We are.” Faith and Duncan said at the same time, looking at each other in surprise. They both grinned._

_“Well personally, I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot barge pole, because I don’t know any of these people.” Lester continued. “But if you’re interested, be my guest. I can tell them to come see you.”_

_“Please do. Thank you, Lest.” Faith said._

_“Don’t call me that!” With that, the line went dead. Faith gave a chuckle. “Guess we’d better head up to my apartment.”_

_“Want to just ride with me?” Duncan asked. Faith thought it over. “Hm… Sure, why not? Your motorcycle is fast enough.”_

_“Fast enough? Excuse me, don’t insult my Double T. “ Duncan acted hurt. Faith rolled her eyes and laughed. “Fine, fine. Let’s go.”_

_The ride was long, but enjoyable, and Faith enjoyed not having to be the driver, for once. Even if Duncan was a bit reckless when driving. It was a nice day out, perfect for a ride. She was almost disappointed when they arrived in her apartment._

_It didn’t take long for the knock at her apartment door. Faith muted the TV and stood, going over and answering it without looking. In front of her was a man with brown hair, wearing a nondescript black work jacket and jeans. Faith was immediately wary as he spoke._

_“So, Mr. Crest said we should talk...about…’work…’ But not here.”_

_Faith gave him the side eye, but let him in, quickly closing the apartment door. She and Duncan shared a sceptical look, and Duncan went with her into the planning room._

_“Soooo, Mr. Crest said you might be able to help me out with something! Well, not me, so that’s clear, it’s not going to be me that you’re helping. And I want it understood that I am not involved. Just a bystander, doing a favour, and this is not an offer of employment, so much as an opportunity, and… Well, anyway, that’s just getting a bit technical.”_

_Duncan and Faith shared another look. This guy simply didn’t feel right, and Faith was beginning to wonder…_

_“But the point is,” he continued. “Sometimes our fair and legal justice system makes mistakes, and this is one such time! Here he is, Professor Maxim Rashkovsky. You know the professor?” He held up a large photograph of a bald man in a jail suit, holding a prison ID slate. “Used to be head of research for the Army. Three doctorates, overconfident polymath, vain sociopath, tedious egomaniac, control freak, geneticist, weapons development, engineer, car nut, but definitely not a people person!”_

_“Is he describing the Professor, or himself?” Faith muttered under her breath. Duncan snorted and turned his laugh into a cough._

_“Accused of espionage on top of everything else.” If he heard the two, he didn’t show it. “You don’t remember? Well, lucky you. Exceedingly vain and self absorbed man, brilliant at everything he does, yadda yadda yadda, makes you want to puke. He’s a god damn traitor! I mean, he’s a rat, but he pays. Incarcerated for a crime he_ did _commit, but well, let’s just say, money talks and he’s going to walk._

_“So! We’ve got a few things to get ready, all pretty straight forward. Do them one at a time, any way you’d like. Standard OP for a… Gov fac breakout, if you know what I mean.”_

_Faith looked at Duncan, eyes wide. A silent freak out was on her face, and Duncan patted her back reassuringly. They’d talk, soon._

_“Rad.” The man continued on, going on to describe the steps they would need to take to make this work. Faith growing more and more pale with each description of what they would need and why. The promise of good pay did not make it any better, and before they could get a word in edgewise, the man left.  
Faith immediately turned to Duncan. “We’re going to break into a government prison?!”_

_“Hey, hey, it’ll be okay. We’ll play it smart.”_

_“Duncan. That guy is 100% a cop or something. There’s no way he’s just going to let this slide, this is insane!”_

_Duncan looked unsure himself. “Yeah, he’s fishy. But I doubt Lester would hook us up with someone who would turn us in. He’s not that incompetent.”_

_Faith fidgeted a little. “This doesn’t feel like a good idea...”_

_Duncan grinned, despite his own doubts and patted her on the head. “It’ll be alright, Faith.”_

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of a steady beeping filled the room, annoying Faith as she stirred, opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was _brightness_ , making her realize that her head was pounding, and she was quite thirsty. Her stomach hurt, it was hard to move, and there was a strange warmth on her right side. Slowly, she looked around, feeling what felt like tape sticking and pulling at her neck. She saw a standard hospital room, with wilting flowers next to her bed and… She blinked, confused.

Duncan was sitting in a chair to her right, slumped over with his head resting on the bed she was laying on. His hand was over hers, a heavy yet reassuring weight. Faith felt her face heat up slightly, and the beeping increased in frequency for just a moment. Why was he here? And why was he asleep? Still, she found she didn’t have either the strength or the heart to wake him or move him.

She could hear footsteps coming down the hall, stopping at her room for just a second before entering. In entered Gay Tony, holding a vase of fresh hydrangeas.

“Hey Tony.” Faith croaked raspily, her throat dry and tight. Gay Tony gasped, quick walking to her side. “You’re awake! Oh my god!” It seemed he had taken notice of Duncan asleep at her side, as he stage whispered to her. Faith nodded slowly, wincing at the pull in her throat. Tony set the flowers on her bedside, taking the wilting ones and tossing them out. Faith watched, a question on her tongue. 

“Tony… What… Happened?” 

“You were attacked in the garage while loading up supplies. Duncan said the assailant had a knife, and he stabbed you when you yelled for help.”

“...Shit.” Faith whispered as it slowly came back to her. She had been so distracted by her own thoughts, she failed to notice Vinny come up behind her… And…

“Vinny?” 

“Dead.” Was the simple reply.

“Fuck…” Faith looked back over to Duncan. “Why is he…?”

“He hasn’t left your side since you got out of surgery. Poor guy hasn’t even slept in days. Keeps saying that he failed you ‘again’ and he’s not gonna let it happen once more.” Tony rolled his eyes. 

“Days?!”

“Whoah, hey, don’t strain yourself girl. You’ll tear something. Yes, days. You were out for about three days.”

“How’s the club?”

“Slow it down with the questions!” Gay Tony chuckled. I’m gonna go find a nurse, get you some water, then we’ll talk.” Before Faith could protest, Gay Tony left.She sighed, settling back into the uncomfortable pillows and looking at Duncan’s sleeping form at her side. He had really stayed by her side for three days… And said he had failed her? It wasn’t his fault, she had been careless...Slowly turning over her hand, so as to not disturb him, she gently grasped his hand. 

He moved slightly, turning his head towards her, but otherwise didn’t wake up. Faith sighed, looking at the bedside table. The clock read 4:00pm, and the news was on the TV. She heard footsteps hurrying down the hall, and looked over to see a nurse come in with a clipboard. She gave a bit of a hard look at Duncan before turning to Faith with a smile. “Hi there! I’m Charlotte, I’m your nurse on duty right now. Can I get your name, please?”

“Faith Avadonia.” Faith wheezed. The nurse looked, sympathetic. “Just a few questions, and I’ll get you some ice chips to suck on, okay?” Faith gave a nod.

“Age?” 

 

“25.” 

Charlotte nodded and wrote on her clipboard. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

“I was attacked in my nightclub and stabbed.” Best not to give too many details. Charlotte gave another nod. “Good, good. Let me go get you some ice, and then I’ll send the doctor in to give your prognosis.”

“Thank you.” Faith watched as she left, and Gay Tony stepped back in. “Before you ask again, the nightclub is doing just fine. We didn’t let the news spread too fa-oh, morning, Duncan.”

Faith quickly looked at Duncan, wincing at the pull in her neck once again. Her brown eyes met his pale blue, watching as a mix of emotions flooded through. The hand on hers didn’t move.

“You’re alright.”

Faith rolled her eyes. “Please, it’s gonna take more than that to take me out. Gonna have to try harder than that.”

“They won’t.” The hand on hers squeezed. “I won’t let them try again.”

Faith gave a small grin. “Part of the job.”

“We’ll see.”

She saw the dark look in his eye and felt a pit in her stomach grow, looking away and gently pulling back her hand. Duncan didn’t make a move to take it back. Before she could speak, the doctor came in. “Ms… Avadonia?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Doctor Carter. How are you feeling?”

Faith gave a noncommittal shrug, not bothering to verbally answer. The doctor looked at his notes. “Alright, Ms. Avadonia, a quick rundown of your injuries. You suffered a minor cut on your neck, and a stab wound to the upper left quadrant of your abdomen, puncturing your spleen. Unfortunately, it had to be removed. You suffered a bit from blood loss as well, but overall, you’re going to be alright, Miss.”

“How long am I looking at for recovery time?” Faith asked. 

“About seven days, given everything goes well and there are no complications.”

“Were there any complications?” Duncan asked, his tone sharp. The doctor shook his head. “The body did go into shock, but seems to be recovering just fine.”

“Thank you, Doc.” Faith cut in before Duncan could. Doctor Carter smiled. “Not a problem. Let me know if you have any questions.” He set a cup of ice next to her, and with that, he left. 

“I gotta get back to the club. But I’m so happy to see you’re okay, Faith.” 

Faith smiled. “Thank you, Tony. Please take care of the club for me.”

“Of coarse. Trust me, I can manage for a week by myself. Consider it a vacation!” Gay Tony laughed. “See you soon.”

“See you soon.” Faith watched him go. She reached out and grabbed the cup, shoving some ice in her mouth unceremoniously, sighing in relief. From the corner of her eye, she watched Duncan’s hands curl into a tight fist. Faith looked to him, seeing he looked angry. “...Duncan?”

“What.”

“What’s wrong?”

Duncan didn’t answer, refusing to meet Faith’s eyes. Faith frowned. “Duncan. Please.”

“What do you want me to say, Faith?! I fucked up! I left you alone and you got hurt, again! You almost died! I watched you collapse and bleed, because I wasn’t paying attention!” Duncan took a deep breath, his head dropping into his hands. “I fucked up and left you alone for four years, and you got hurt then too. I was supposed to protect you…”

“Oh, Nines…” Faith reached out, ignoring the pain in her stomach. Duncan gasped and met her halfway, wrapping his arms around her and scolded her gently. “Stop moving so much, you’re gonna rip something open!”

“I don’t care. You didn’t fuck up, Duncan… I sent you to deal with Lazlow, remember? And I wasn’t aware of my surroundings… Nines. _Nines_. Look at me.”

Slowly, so very slowly, he let her go and looked up. He saw Faith’s eyes filled with tears, threatening to spill over. “ _It wasn’t your fault._ ” The words came out as almost a plea, a silent beg for him to stop blaming himself. He frowned, staring for what felt like ages before he nodded. “Alright.”

Faith visibly relaxed, closing her eyes. Tears spilled, but she brushed them away with the back of her wrist. “This was an unfortunate accident. But if you hadn’t have been there… We’d have lost the product completely, and let’s be honest, I’d be dead. You did your job and more, hun.”

“Yeah…” Duncan’s face turned slightly red. She hadn’t called him 'hun' since he had left, and honestly, he had missed it. 

Maybe, just maybe, they could get back to where they were before. Day by day, it felt like they were slowly getting there.


	7. Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duncan notices something new on Faith, bringing back old memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeesh, I struggled to write this chapter. Therefore, it's a bit shorter, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

Faith had been in the hospital for 8 days, and was ready to get going, despite the doctor saying otherwise.She was getting tired of sitting in the hospital, doing nothing, and Gay Tony (and at one brief point, Lazlow) visiting and updating her on business was making her even more antsy. 

 

What was making her even more anxious was Duncan, who still hadn’t left her side since the incident. She knew he was still feeling guilty about what happened, despite her insistence that it wasn’t his fault. She wondered how to get through to him, convince him that she’d be fine for at least a few hours so he could go and take care of himself. 

Though she doubted she’d get any farther than she had previously, Faith cleared her throat. “You know, you could go home for a few hours. Shower, get some food. Take a nap. You’re looking pretty scruffy, there.” 

“Not happening. I’m not leaving you.”

“Okay one, it wouldn’t be “leaving” me. I know you’ll come back, it would just be for a short bit. Two, no one has tried anything. If they would have, they probably would have done it while I was still down and out of it, not after I’ve had a chance to recover. Three, the hospital has security, and I have this nifty little remote here to call a nurse if something happens. I’ll be fine for a while.”

“Did I stutter? I’m not leaving you, and that’s final.” Duncan said, his voice gentle, but firm. Faith sighed. 5 days, and she still hadn’t made any progress. Frankly, she was starting to get worried. Just how badly had this incident shaken him?

“Then can we at least go for a walk?”

“Doctor said you’re supposed to be resting.”

“I could also get blood clots from sitting around too much.” Faith pointed out. “Besides, I really need a change of scenery, and their little garden looks so nice…”

Duncan couldn’t resist Faith’s almost childlike, pleading tone. Giving a small, yet very warm smile, he gave his answer. “Alright, alright. When you’re ready.”

Faith grinned wide, swinging her legs over the side of her hospital bed. She grabbed the IV drip, which was still attached to her arm and used that as a support to stand up slowly. Duncan was at her side in an instant, a hand offered to help her up that she did not take. Instead, she kept a steady grip on the drip as she took a few steps forward. 

“Shoes?” Duncan gestured to the slippers they gave her. Faith shook her head. “Prefer barefoot, still.” 

Duncan shrugged to himself and walked with Faith, showing her where the elevators were. Faith stepped in apprehensively, looking more nervous than the last time they had been in an elevator. Duncan hit the button for the ground floor and leaned against the wall, next to her. “You okay?”

“...” Faith shuffled a little, thinking on how to word it. “It just reminds me of the other night.”

“Oh…” Duncan blinked, surprised by the change in tone. Slowly, he reached out, touching Faith’s shoulder. “It’s alright. You’re safe.” 

Faith took a deep breath, leaning a bit into Duncan’s touch. “... Yeah.”

Luckily, the ride was short, and Faith got off the elevator surprisingly quick for someone who had been recently stabbed. Duncan followed, also thinking of the other night. Things had been going so good, and then they were interrupted. What would have happened if they hadn’t been? Shaking his head, he followed Faith into the garden. 

Faith looked around, happily admiring the shrubbery, flowers and water fountain adorning the hospital serenity garden. Duncan took advantage of the fact that she wasn’t focusing on him, and appreciated her for a moment. She looked happy to be out in the open, and it was nice to see. He also noticed that she had managed to sneak on jeans under her issued hospital gown, perhaps in the moments that he had accidentally fallen asleep, but she was still more dressed down than she usually was. Duncan could see a hint of something on her back, something that hadn’t been there when he had known her previously. 

“New tattoo?” he asked. Faith turned, looking at him questioningly before it dawned on her. “Oh. Uh, yeah.”

“Can I see?”

Faith glanced around, seeing the garden was empty of others at the time being. “Alright.” She adjusted the gown, showing off her shoulders and about a third of her back. Going across from her left shoulder to the middle of her back were four moons in different phases, shaded in different parts. 

“What’s it mean?” Faith’s tattoos had always had some sort of meaning to her, the geometric rose, high on her chest represented her family. The lily on her leg representing her past, and the octopus wrapping around her arm… Well, he wasn’t sure about that one, actually. But most of them did.

“Each one is the phase of the moon on the night of a successful heist.” Faith explained, pulling Duncan out of thought. “The Fleeca Job, The Prison Break, the Humane Labs Raid, and the Series A Funding. Ah, you weren’t there for that one, though. Fun story, I actually have a scar right above the last one from that job. Got grazed by a bullet.”

Duncan leaned in close to get a better look, noticing the deep, pink scar going across the dip between her neck and shoulder. He scowled, moving his hand up, fingertips brushing against the scar with the gentleness of a feather. 

Faith held still, not daring to even take a breath as the fingertips slid down her back, tracing over the moons adorning her skin. Starting with the left, the first one representing their first job together. The second moon, then the third, where things had changed, both between and within them. And the fourth, a job he never told her that he knew about, quite well. 

“An incendiary round.” He muttered. “You got so lucky, Faith…”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I-“

“Uh… am I interrupting something?” Gay Tony spoke up, causing Faith to jump and pull the gown back up where it belonged. Duncan cleared his throat and stepped back. “Uh, hey Tony.”

“Hey, you two. Faith, you’re looking well!”

“Ah, yeah… Thanks. How’s the club?”

Duncan didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, the image of a burn scar that he knew all too well engraved in his mind.


	8. Do I Wanna Know?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith gets released from the hospital and checks in on her business.

“I can’t believe the doctor says I can’t lift anything for 6 weeks.” Faith grumbled, pouting in the passenger side of Duncan’s Duke O’ Death. 

“You really don’t want to tear anything open, Faith. Do you want to be back in the hospital?”

“No.” She whined. “I’ll go insane if I wind up back in there.”

“Then stop complaining.” Duncan’s tone didn’t sound mad or even the slightest bit annoyed, so Faith smiled mischievously. 

“I don’t wanna. I like complaining.”

Duncan gave an exaggerated sigh, but smiled at her. “...It’s really good to see you out.”

“It’s good to be out!” Faith laughed. “I know you want me to rest more and blah blah blah. But can we please go swing by the nightclub? I want to make sure everything is going okay.”

“Depends. Do you promise not to do any heavy lifting, and to take it easy?”

Faith rolled her eyes. “Yes, dad.” 

Duncan just gave a chuckle, changing his route to Galaxy. Faith grinned, reaching over and turning up the radio.

_“Tonight_  
_We're longing for daylight_  
_Burning the same lie_  
_To find the ghost of you and I_  
_We're running from midnight_  
_Dying to ignite_  
_To find the ghost of you and I_  
_Yeah, 'cause tonight_  
_The fire that we hold inside_  
_That once would burn so bright_  
_Denied and buried by a thousand eyes_  
_That fight to keep you blind”_

About midway through, Faith began humming along. The song got Duncan thinking about older times. Faith glanced over, noticing the look on his face. “What’re you thinking about?”

“Do you remember that night where we were waiting to rendezvous with the heist group up by Paleto Bay?”

"Yeah! We sat on the hood of my car, and you were showing me constellations and planets.”

“And you were humming along to the radio.” Duncan said, he sounded almost like he was longing for something. Faith looked over, and before she could ask what was up, he continued. 

“I miss those days. Where you and I were together constantly, and we could just be free. There wasn’t anyone in particular out for our blood. We could just do our own thing, and no one cared. Now it’s all business, with people trying to kill us at every turn.”

“Whoah, hey, slow down. What brought this on?” Faith furrowed her brow. 

“Just… At the hospital, it was almost like that again. Just for a second. We didn’t have to worry about business, or loans. You didn’t seem mad at me. We could kinda hang out.”

“Duncan…”

“We’re here.” Duncan pulled into the garage of the nightclub, and Faith looked around, surprising a shiver. Her stomach twinged, a reminder of what had happened the last time she was here, and she felt a little ill. The van was gone, and Faith was glad. She didn’t think she could handle seeing it right now. 

The two headed into the office, Faith too lost in her thoughts to notice Gay Tony and someone else’s voice coming from the VIP lounge, Tony sounding a bit panicked, and the other sounding smug.

Duncan stopped in front of Faith, holding out an arm to stop Faith as well. “You know him?”

“Huh?” Faith peeked over Duncan’s arm, noticing a man with an angular face, a flat nose suggesting it had been broken once or twice and a lip piercing on his upper lip. He wearing a dark blue shirt and black jeans. His long, brown hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and a geometric maze of tattoos trailed down his arms, obviously extending up past his short shirt sleeves. Faith cringed, pushing aside Duncan’s arms and tried to run towards the lounge area, though all she could manage was a slow jog.

“Mikelo. How can we help you today?” She said breathlessly. Duncan couldn’t tell if the short run had winded her, or if it was fear in her voice. The man looked up with a smile, and Duncan decided he didn’t like the dangerous glint in his eye.

“Ah, Faith, so happy to see you.” Mikelo spoke evenly. “As I was telling your friend Tony here, your payment is overdue.”

“I know. I’ve been in the hospital. There was-”

Mikelo stood, towering over Faith. He reached out, cupping her chin in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. The smug smile never left his face. “That doesn’t matter. Punctuality is very, very important to us. It would be… Unfortunate if you were to miss another payment. This time, we’ll overlook it and simply raise your interest rates. But next time, we may not be so kind. Understood?”

Before Faith could answer, Duncan stepped forward, pushing Mikelo’s hand off Faith. “Don’t touch her.” He snapped.

“Whoah, hey, easy, we don’t need any more trouble!” Gay Tony jumped up, frantic. “Mr. Dubios, please, this is our new bodyguard. He doesn’t know any better.”

“Then perhaps he should be taught a lesson.”

Faith saw Duncan square up, reaching for his back and spoke quickly. “I’ve got your payment in my office, Mikelo. We don’t need any trouble, and I’ll have a talk with my bodyguard.”

“...Very well, Ms. Faith. Just this once. But if he makes another move, he will be disposed of.”

Duncan didn’t miss the pleading look that Faith shot him, how her face was pale and her eyes held a fear that he had never seen before. Not even when they were being chased down by cops, not when they stormed a federal prison. Not even when she was in his arms, bleeding out. He looked at Mikelo hard, slowly bringing his arm back to the front, no weapon in sight. 

He kept a tight eye on Faith as she moved back to the office, going over to the white panel wall across from her desk and touching it. The panel swung open, revealing a vault with a few stacks of cash inside. Faith grabbed all of the stacks from the second shelf, leaving behind two on the top shelf and handing them over to Mikelo. He took them with no hesitation, flipping through to quickly count. He quickly glanced up, the smug smile back on his face. “Your debt would go down faster with the rest of what is in that vault.”

“My staff needs paid as well.” Faith scowled. 

“Now there’s no need for that look! You’re so much prettier when you smile.” 

“Good thing I’m not in an industry of looks.” Faith said dryly. “Do you need anything else?”

“I believe that will be all for this visit. I look forward to my next.” With that, he left through the main entrance. 

Though The Black Madonna’s music was blaring through the club, the silence in the office was stunning. Gay Tony sat on the lounge couch, nursing a beer. Duncan stood by the bar, fists clenched tightly at his side. Faith leaned against her desk, hunched over and eyes not leaving the floor. 

“Tony, can we have a minute? I’d like to talk to Faith. Alone.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Fine. Whatever.” Gay Tony stood and walked off, heading into the busy club. Faith didn’t watch him go, and the door clicked behind him.

A few minutes passed before Faith saw familiar black boots enter her line of sight, feeling hands grasping her shoulders and pulling her close. She closed her eyes, taking a few moments to just breathe and gather her thoughts, trying to stop shaking. Duncan said nothing, only holding her in a tight hug.

After what seemed like an eternity, Faith finally spoke, her voice quiet and barely audible. “I’m sorry.”

“Why did you stop me?”

“Because anything we do to him, he’ll do worse. With reinforcements.”

“Have you tried?”

“Of course I tried!” Faith shrugged away from him, looking angry. “You think I just let them walk all over me? When they told me I’d have to pay for their stash, I told them to fuck off! And guess what, Duncan? It didn’t fucking work out for me!”

“It couldn’t be that bad! Come on Faith, you could take them!”

“They-!” Faith’s eyes glassed over, and it seemed as if the fight left her body. Duncan recognized that look. Something traumatic had happened, and she was remembering it all too well. He scooped her up, trying to take her over to the lounge couch despite her struggling. Luckily, Duncan was stronger, and set her on the couch gently.

“Faith, listen to my voice. You’re safe, you’re not in danger. You’re in Galaxy, it’s just me and you right now. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” At his side, his fist clenched again. “Take a few deep breaths, okay?”

Faith shakily took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes. Duncan waited patiently, watching as she came back to reality. Slowly, she opened her eyes, looking around and visibly relaxed. 

“Do you want to talk about it…?”

Faith fidgeted with her leather jacket, pulling it closer around her. “...You have no idea what they’re capable of, Duncan. Just… Trust me.”

“...Alright. I trust you.” He reached out, brushing a bit of black hair from her face, then patted her knee. “Let’s get you home. We shouldn’t have pushed so hard tonight.”

“...Yeah.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Duncan and Faith laid on the hood of her white and red Zion Cabrio, the two enjoying the night sky as the radio played from the car. They had just finished another heist set up, stealing a Velum from the air strip, and had agreed to rendezvous up in the Paleto Bay area after with the rest of their group to discuss their next move._

_“Right there is Saturn.” Duncan pointed at a star, brighter than the rest, in the sky. Faith peered at where he was pointing, awe clearly on her face._

_“Oh look! There’s Libra!”_

_“Mmhm~”_

_“What’s on your mind?” She nudged him softly, her hand brushing his for just a moment. Duncan thought for just a moment, the sound of the radio filling the space between them._

_“Faith…”_

_“So have you got the guts?_  
Been wondering if your heart's still open and  
if so I wanna know what time it shuts  
Simmer down and pucker up  
I'm sorry to interrupt it's just I'm constantly  
on the cusp of trying to kiss you  
I don't know if you feel the same as I do  
But we could be together, if you wanted to…” 

_Duncan lost his nerve. “I’m… Just really glad to have you as my partner in crime. I don’t think I’d be nearly as successful with someone else. I mean… Who else would come with me on Motorcycle Club contracts?”_

_“If this feeling flows both ways_  
_(Sad to see you go)_  
_Was sorta hoping that you'd stay_  
_(Baby we both know)_  
_That the nights were mainly made for saying_  
_things that you can't say tomorrow day”_

_Faith grinned. “Aw, Nines~ I’m glad too. You’re a good partner, and…” Her hand hovered, reaching for his for just a moment before setting it back down on the hood gently. Not yet. She didn’t have the courage. “I’m glad that you feel the same. I couldn’t dream of a better partner.”_

_“Crawling back to you_  
_Ever thought of calling when you've had a few? (calling when you've had a few)_  
_'Cause I always do ('cause I always do)_  
_Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new_  
_Now I've thought it through”_

_Duncan listened to Faith, wondering if he was imagining the nerves in her voice. “Usako?”_

_“Yeah?”_

_“I was wondering if you’d like-”_

_The question was interrupted by the sound of tires on dirt and brakes squealing, pulling up next to them. Faith sat up and looked, seeing a familiar black and green zentorno pull alongside them in a storm of dirt. Almost before the vehicle had even stopped, a woman with black hair, covered by a pink beanie nearly jumped out, taking a few steps out of the car. “Please, please, don’t make me ride with him again, he almost killed both of us so many times!”_

_“Oh, don’t be such a fucking baby. If I wanted you to be dead, you’d be dead.” A man with dark hair and sunglasses covering his face rolled down the driver side window. Faith shot a look to Duncan, which he shared._

_“I’ll ride with Dick.” Duncan sighed, sliding off the hood of the Zion. Faith looked at him, ignoring their team mate’s insistence that his name was Richard and not Dick , feeling her chest tighten. If only they had just a little bit longer…_

_“Crawling back to you, (do I wanna know?)_  
_If this feeling flows both ways_  
_(Sad to see you go)_  
_Was sorta hoping that you'd stay_  
_(Baby we both know)_  
_That the nights were mainly made for saying_  
_things that you can't say tomorrow day...”_


	9. But You’re Just A Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith remembers that fateful day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been planning this since I first started writing this fic. I’m happy with how it turned out. However, this chapter wound up quite long, so it had to be split. Next chapter soon!

“No.”

“Faith, you are in no condition to be by yourself right now.”

“You stayed with me for over a week in the hospital. You _need_ to go home and you need to take care of yourself too. You’re not staying in my apartment.”

“I saw how you reacted in the club, and I know you. Once you’re alone, you’ll relive it, over and over. You need someone to stay with you, and it… It would make me feel a lot better, to see that you’re safe.”

Faith stared, long and hard at Duncan, hoping he would give. Unfortunately, her resolve broke before his did. She slouched, stepping aside from the door to let him in. Duncan stepped in, closing the door gently behind him. Faith sighed, trudging over to the couch and flopping down.

“Careful, you don’t-”

“Want to tear anything. Yeah yeah, I know. Believe me.” Faith grumbled. 

“Hey, I’m just looking out for you.”

“...I know.” Faith sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Duncan sat on the other side of the couch, careful not to jostle Faith too much. “So… That’s what you’ve been dealing with, huh?”

“...Yeah. Mikelo is just the one that comes by to collect payments. A figurehead. Jerks himself off to being able to push people around.”

Duncan scoffed. “Yeah, I could tell. If he lays another hand on you…”

“It’s not worth it, Duncan.”

“It is to me. I’m supposed to protect you! And I already failed at that and damn near lost you. I won’t let it happen again.”

“Nines…” Faith looked at him, shocked. “You’re not going to lose me.”

“I almost did, more than once!” Duncan clenched his fist.

“More than…?” Slowly, Faith realized what he meant. “Oh, if this is some guilt complex about you disappearing for four years, then just stop.”

“Of coarse I feel bad about it, Faith! You were and still are my best friend! I didn’t want to leave like that. But I’m not protecting you now just because I feel bad. I’m doing it because I care about you, and I don’t want to see you dead. We started our criminal careers together, and I’ll be damned if they don’t end together too.”

Faith gave a shaky laugh and wiped her eyes. “We did say ride or die, didn’t we?”

“Exactly.” Duncan reached over and patted her knee. “But for now, let’s get some rest and think of our next move.”

“Right. Okay.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

_“I have a bad feeling, Nines.” Faith scraped at the chipped red nail polish on her nails, fidgeting nervously. They were to meet up at her apartment in two hours to rendezvous and start the Humane Labs Raid. As of now, the two sat in Duncan’s motorcycle clubhouse, taking a moment to breathe before the fun began. Duncan idly threw darts at a dart board, glancing over at his partner in crime. “We’ve gone over the plan a few times. We’re gonna be fine, Faith.”_

_“Yeah, I guess…” She stared at the floor._

_“Hey, look at me.” Duncan’s voice went soft. Faith looked up, meeting his pale blue eyes. “Do you trust me?”_

_“Yeah, of coarse I do.” Faith matched his tone, her shoulders relaxing._

_“We’re going to be just fine. I promise. This is going to go off without a hitch.”_

_Faith smiled, slow. “Alright, alright. We’ve got this. I just hate that we’re not on the same team…”_

_“I do, too. But hey, I’ll see you on the other side.”_

_“Right.”_

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Faith watched as the team suited up, her nerves more on edge than ever. She was used to feeling nervous before a heist, but this… It was something about their contact, Agent 14. She didn’t trust him. The guy was obviously some sort of cop. She watched as Duncan, Hoxton and Mona got their gear together._

_“Usako. You ready to go?” Duncan pulled her from her thoughts._

_“Huh? Uh, yeah. As long as Mona is.”_

_The woman across from her slid the pink beanie off her head, changing it out for a mask instead. “I’m ready,_

_“Call me Usako.” Faith scolded, quietly regretting telling her her name. Mona had quickly forgotten they were supposed to be using aliases only on these sorts of occasions. Mona looked sheepish. “Sorry…”_

_“God, you idiots take forever. I’m gonna wait out front.” Hoxton slid a pair of sunglasses over his eyes and left before anyone could say otherwise. Faith and Duncan shared a look, both wishing they had been on the same team._

_“We’d better go after him.” Faith sighed._

_“Yeah, definitely…” Mona grabbed a black leather jacket, leaving her pink one on the shelf and heading down with Faith and Duncan in tow._

_Hoxton was already in his car, waiting impatiently. Mona headed for Faith’s car, having already agreed that they would ride together. Duncan stopped, Faith almost bumping into him. “Whoah, what’s up?”_

_“I just… wanted to say…” Duncan hesitated, looking her in the eyes. “... Good luck, Usako. Be safe. I’ll see you on the other side.”_

_“I… Yeah. Be safe, Nines.” Her voice was soft again. Duncan gave her an affectionate smile, swearing to himself that after the raid, he would finally ask her…_

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_“You done? Alright, I’m done. Meet my contact at the Land Act Reservoir, and you’ll be paid. You know, I’ve lost a lot of operatives in the field, I’m happy you aren’t some of them.” With that, Lester was out. Faith looked around. “There. That’s Hoxton’s car.”_

_“Yup.” Mona carefully navigated the helicopter on the mountain, landing it safely near the car. Hoxton walked up, getting in the back and sitting on the gun. Faith frowned, looking around. “Where’s Nines?"_

_He shrugged, not even looking at Faith, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it._

_“This isn’t a fucking game, Hoxton. Where’s Nines?” Faith repeated._

_“Our ‘contact’ said Nines would catch up later. Fuckin’ bitch.” The last part was muttered, and Faith decided to ignore it. Her gut knotted and twisted. This was off course. He was supposed to meet them. Where was he? Why hadn’t he told her there was a change?_

_Mona was already airborne again, and Faith held on, staring out over the disappearing city, hoping for just a glimpse of that Double T to ease her mind._

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_“Your laughter haunts me_  
_Like a ringing in my ear_  
_You left me long ago_  
_You’re still everywhere”_

_The radio lulled on in Faith’s otherwise silent apartment, as she sat on the floor near the window. A bottle of flavoured vodka laid next to her on the ground. Her phone sat in her hand, staring at a text conversation gone unanswered._

“You didn’t meet us. You ok?”  
Delivered

“Dunc?”  
Delivered

“Want to meet at the clubhouse to celebrate?”  
Delivered

“Morning”  
Delivered

“Ora and I are gonna meet up for lunch. Wanna come? Dick isn’t invited lmao”  
Delivered

 

“Duncan I’m really started to worry.”  
Delivered

 

“Alright, it’s been a few days. I haven’t seen you at the clubhouse and I haven’t heard from you. What’s going on?”  
Delivered

“Duncan”  
Delivered

“Nines. This isn’t funny.”  
Delivered.

“Duncan, please.”  
Delivered

“It’s been two weeks. I’m coming over.”  
Delivered

“Your apartment is cleared out???”  
“All your cars are gone too.”  
“Duncan please, let’s talk about this.”  
Delivered

“Whatever is going on, I’m here for you.”  
Delivered

“Look, if you don’t want to hang out anymore or something, just tell me.”  
“But it’s been two weeks and this is chickenshit. I’m worried something happened.”  
Delivered

“It’s been almost a month. If you don’t answer, I’m going to Lest.”  
Delivered

“Fine.”  
Delivered

“Lester said he wasn’t aware of anything going wrong during the last shift we worked together.”  
“Mona and Dick haven’t heard anything either.”  
“What happened, Duncan?”  
Delivered

“I miss you.”  
Delivered

“Two months and not even Lester has found anything.”  
“Duncan, I’m scared.”  
Delivered

“I just want to see you again.”  
Message not sent

_“I reach out for you_  
_I’m desperate for your warmth_  
_Can you tell me where we went wrong?_  
_At least tell me just to move on.” The radio continued as Faith lifted the bottle to her lips, staring at the sun setting over the city. Her chest ached as much as her throat burned._

_“Say what you mean out loud_  
_Drowning in silence_  
_When I’m lost in the crowd_  
_Cause every sweet thing_  
_You’d never speak_  
_It’s deafening_  
_Never knowing what could be”_

_Her thumb hovered over an unsent message, staring at it for a long time._

“I love you.”

_She frowned, hitting the back button. A message popped up. “Message unsent. Do you want to send?”_

_She hit no, returning to her home screen. Her background was a picture of her and Duncan at the clubhouse, in front of both of their bikes. Again, she felt a pang in her chest as she locked the screen. It had been four months. Not a trace of Duncan. It was as if he had never existed, almost. All she had that confirmed his existence and the time they had spent together was a few pictures, texts to a number now disconnected, and an abandoned motorcycle club that she could no longer enter, as she didn’t have the key._

_“Wish I could show you how_  
_But you’re just a ghost now…_

___It’s time to let it go_  
_You left me all alone_  
_I wanna feel your heartbeat_  
_But it doesn’t beat for me no more”_

_Faith chucked her phone across her apartment, bringing her knees to her chest. The weight of his disappearance was too much to bear, she couldn’t stand it._

_“It’s time to let it go_  
_You left me alone_  
_It’s holding me down_  
_It’s burning me out_  
_I’m begging for sound_  
_But I can’t bring you back now”_

_She couldn’t do it anymore. She needed something… Anything, to distract her. She couldn’t bare to dwell on it anymore. Perhaps it was finally time to put all the money she saved to use, she thought. Her own business, since the motorcycle club was no longer open…_

_Anything to get her mind off of him._

_\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Faith woke up, her head laying on something warm and tears rolling down her cheeks. She slowly sat up, reaching up and touching her face, looking at her hand, then wiping her eyes. She then looked to her right and realized she had fallen asleep while watching TV with Duncan. At some point, she must have slumped over into his lap. Relief flooded her system. After those painful memories resurfacing as dreams, she had to admit that she was happy to see him first thing when she woke up. 

Quietly, she got up, trying not to make too much noise as she padded to the kitchen and started some water to boil. As she waited, she leaned against her counter, staring at the city shrouded by night, fighting against the dark with its bright lights and buzzing night life. It had always been calming to her, watching the city from her tall apartment. 

With the water soon boiled, she grabbed a tea cup from one of her cupboard and made herself a cup of tea. Much too early, or late depending on how you wanted to look at it for coffee, and she hoped to get back to sleep tonight. She watched the city, she watched Duncan sleep on her couch, praying that her restless mind would ease soon. 


	10. Whatever It Takes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duncan has nightmares about the past, and shows Faith what he’s been up to while he’s gone.

_Duncan woke with a pounding head, a sore back, and his face pressed to a hard, cool surface. It was dark, wherever he happened to be was lit by only a single strip of fluorescent lights overhead. He groaned as he slowly tried to sit up, realizing he was in what appeared to be an interrogation room, sitting in a chair. Across from the metal table, which was bolted to the floor, was an empty metal chair. To his left was what appeared to be a mirror, no doubt was it two way glass. And his right, a door._

_Duncan rubbed his head, trying to remember how he got there. They were raiding the Humane Labs, they had exited the tunnel and… And… he didn’t remember anything after that. He tried to quell the rising panic, wondering if the heist crew had also been captured. It was entirely possible that Hoxton had, as Hoxton was right in front of him at the time he had blacked out. As for Mona and Usako… He refused to even think it. They were far enough away. They surely had to be safe. They had to be. His stomach rolled at the thought of Faith in the same situation as he, sitting in an interrogation room, clueless and alone._

_He didn’t have long to dwell on it, as the door swung open, Agent 14 entering. Just behind him, Duncan caught a glimpse of two armed guards in tactical gear. Wherever he was, and whatever was happening, wasn’t good. The door shut with a heavy “clink!” And Agent 14 sat down across from Duncan, a smirk on his face. “Well, well, well. Sleeping Beauty finally woke up! Glad to see you up and moving, buddy.”_

_“Wha-”_

_“Let’s cut to the chase. I have someone that is veryinterested in you and your skill set. They think you could do some great things on their side. Now personally, I don’t think we should start hiring criminal scum just because they can shoot well, but ah, I don’t call the shots. So here’s the deal.” He tossed a clipboard on the table. “You’re gonna sign this eight year contract with Fort Zancudo. Four years, active duty and four years in our reserves program. No contact with your previous ‘buddies,’ as, well, they’re criminals! So are you, of course, but that’ll be overlooked. You’ll keep your nose clean, no more breaking and entering unless we tell you to. No heists, just good, old fashioned American liberation! What do you say?”_

_“What?” Duncan was incredulous. Surely, Agent 14 was joking. “No fucking way. I’m not signing on for the army. Fuck off.”_

_Agent 14 laughed, opening a tablet he had been carrying with him. “I thought you might say that. We have evidence of you and your friends busting into a federal prison, helping Maxim Rashkovsky break out of prison, breaking and entering, murder, intent to murder and really, so, so much more. And oh, you’ll love this.” He turned the tablet around, revealing a live camera feed of Faith, Orobas and Richard in a bar, celebrating the successful raid. Richard was pounding shots, Orobas sipping wine, and Faith nursing some sort of drink, watching the door closely._

_The camera feed switched, showing the outside of the bar. Duncan observed as Los Santos police lined up outside, surrounding the building with multiple varieties of firearms. His heart dropped to his stomach._

_“If you really don’t want to, then I’m really glad you got a good look at that federal prison, because that’s where you’ll be spending the rest of your life. And if any of your buddies there try to resist arrest and start shooting? Well, they’ll all be shot on sight.”_

_“You can’t do this!” Duncan stood up abruptly, ready to fight._

_“Oh I can. And would. And I am, really.” Agent 14 grinned. “But if you sign on and agree fully to our terms, we’ll call off the raid. Let them live on in blissful ignorance, never knowing that they had been caught.”_

_Duncan stared at the feed, watching as it switched back to the bar. The trio still were celebrating in their own ways. He watched as the last person he remembered seeing during the heist, downing shot after shot, as well as Orobas sipped her wine and chatted with Faith. As Faith nodded, paying more attention to the door than anything, with a wistfully concerned look on her face. He frowned deeply._

_‘I’m sorry… But I have to protect you.’_

_“I’ll do it.”_

_“Great! I’m glad you’ve got enough sense to do the right thing. I mean, if it were me, I’d let them go to hell, but sure.” He shrugged._

_“Call them off now. I want to know they’re safe before I sign anything.”_

_“You’re not the one making deals here, bud.”_

_“You’ve got me in a locked room with armed guards, and no weapons. Where am I gonna go?” Duncan pointed out._

_“Fair enough.” Agent 14 pulled out his phone, hitting a single button and holding it to his ear. “We got what we needed. Call it off.”_

_Duncan gave one last look to the video feed, wishing more than anything to be sitting in that bar, drinking with everyone until he had the courage to ask Faith the question he had wanted to ask for months now. He took a moment, thinking about what could of been, the plans he had in mind, the life he wanted._

_And then, he signed his freedom away._

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Duncan woke up on the couch, looking around frantically before remembering where he was. He relaxed for just a moment. He was in Faith’s apartment. No barracks or tents, no screaming, no bullets or explosions. His panic flared again though, when he realized that Faith was not asleep next to him, where he last saw her. 

“Faith?” He called out, cautiously. He waited, but received no answer. “Faith.” He called out again. Already, he was getting to his feet, panic shaking him to his core. _‘God, please, don’t let them have taken her.’_

Trying to maintain a cool head, Duncan checked the heist planning room first. Pushing open the door, he saw the room was dark, no signs of life. He gently shut the door, his panic growing as he went downstairs, calling for her again. 

As he reached the bottom, he could see a lump lying in Faith’s bed. He rushed over, heart racing. He caught a glimpse of a mop of black hair, strewn across the pillows. The blankets raised slightly, slowly, indicating that Faith was just fine. Duncan gave a breath of relief, glad that she was safe and sound, even sleeping peacefully. However, he knew that with his panic, he would not be returning back to the blissful release of sleep. He headed back upstairs to the kitchen, going to make a pot of coffee. Perhaps, when the time drew near, he would even make himself and Faith some breakfast.

It was going to be a long day.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“So, how would you feel about calling off work today and taking a trip up to Cassidy Trail with me?”

Faith paused at the question, a forkful of eggs halfway up to her mouth. Her eyes narrowed as she set it back down, clearing her throat slightly. “Are you asking me to call off work to go hiking with you? After I was out for over a week after getting stabbed?”

Duncan held up his hands defensively. “No, no, it’s not like that. I’ve been thinking about your situation, and I think I may have something that would help.”

“What is it?” Faith relaxed just slightly, resuming her meal.

“I’d rather show you than tell you. It’s… a lot to explain.” Duncan took a drink of the juice he had found in the fridge, carefully avoiding Faith’s piercing gaze. If he looked, he would have to explain, and he didn’t want the one million follow up questions Faith would ask on the drive up. She’d see for herself. 

Faith squinted at him before finally giving in. “Fine… Let me get dressed.” She stood and grumbled under her breath. “You know I hate surprises…”

“Get over it!” He called after her, tactfully avoiding the glare he threw his way before going downstairs.

The drive up in Duncan’s Duke of Death was quiet, Duncan driving while Faith controlled the music, and Duncan occasionally commenting. Faith watched the scenery going by, wondering what he could possibly want to show her, all the way up in Cassidy Trails. 

The road soon turned to dirt, and Duncan pulled a left at the bridge, taking them down a narrow path for a short ways before pulling off the road. Faith frowned, looked over to him questioningly.

“Yeah. We’re here. C’mon.” Duncan got out of the car, Faith hesitantly following after. 

To her surprise, they approached a full scale bunker entrance, hidden just out of sight from the road. Faith shot him another look, causing him to grin. “Just trust me.” 

The doors seemed to swing open on their own, and the next thing she knew, Faith was inside an underground bunker, heavily guarded and full of crates that she could only guess the contents of. With even more hesitation, she followed Duncan farther in. 

“Hey hot stuff, you need a full pat down to get any farther.” One of the guards held his arm out, stopping her from following. Faith crossed her arms over her chest, staring down the guard. “No, thank you.”

The guard drew his rifle, pointing it directly at her. “Are we going to have a problem, ma’am?”

The guard was suddenly shoved, the rifle taken from his poor grasp before he had time to react. Duncan kept a tight grasp on the guard’s shoulder. “Are you an idiot? She’s obviously with me.”

“Uh, ah… Sorry, boss, I didn’t realize…”

“Apologize to the lady.” Duncan growled. 

“My apologies, ah, ma’am.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Faith replied smoothly. She shot Duncan a look, a moment of silent communication between the two, before he lead her into an area holding what appeared to be a semi-truck. 

“Alright, now I’m thoroughly confused. The fuck is going on here?” Faith demanded. 

“Bunker. Used to smuggle guns, as well as deconstruct government property, rebuild it, as well as sell it.”

“What. The fuck.” Faith whispered. “Duncan, this is…”

“Sanctioned by Agent 14. He got me to buy it, so I could keep working for them.”

Faith leaned against the truck, taking it all in and wondering just how deep they had dug their graves when they agreed to work with Agent 14. She shut her eyes, wondering if this was worth it. A lifetime of debt that would never be paid in full, versus possibly being tracked down by the government for stolen goods. Her mind wandered back to that night, the impromptu chase with the police… What followed after. The thought of such brought a panic that nearly consumed Faith, and she quickly steered clear from it. 

She really didn’t have much to lose at this point. 

“So what do we do?”

Duncan tensed up, as he hadn’t expected her to say yes. He had almost hoped that she wouldn’t say yes, that she’d tell him that this was crazy and too close to the sun, that she’d leave and stay safe. Of coarse, he should have known better. He knew Faith was in deep, and he had seen how far she was willing to go to get out. 

“I don’t have anything to be done quite yet. I just wanted to show you around, get you acquainted with everything.” He prayed that she didn’t notice the slight shake in his voice. Faith nodded, not showing if she did. 

“Come on. I’ll give you the grand tour.” He gestured. Faith followed by his side as he showed her the impressive facility. 

Before they could get too far, a security guard quickly caught up with them. “Boss? 14’s here. He wants to speak with you.”

Duncan’s jaw clenched, his pale eyes immediately flickering from the guard to Faith. “Faith, stay here.”

“Absolutely not.”

_“Please.”_

Faith shook her head, refusing again. “We’re in this together now.”

Duncan clenched his fist, staring at her for a minute before sighing. “... Alright. Come on.”

They followed the guard back up to the front of the bunker, the all too familiar sight of Agent 14 greeting them. 

“There you are! Ah- I apologize. I didn’t realize we were impressing the ladies today.” 

Duncan gave a silent, hard look, stepping in front of Faith. “Don’t worry about her. What’s going on?”

“But she could be so, so useful to our operation! Well, not yet, as she hasn’t signed the appropriate papers. But here soon, maybe.” Agent 14 shrugged. “But you did! And we’re calling you for a quick op. Should be just a week, you know, a month tops. No time to pack up, I’m sure your friend here can keep things rolling while you’re gone.”

“I-“

“Snap to it, on the double, hustle, whatever they tell you!”

Duncan grabbed Faith’s wrist, fingers brushing the inside of her wrist and making her shiver. “I’ll be back. I _swear <\i> it.”_

_Before she could even breathe, he was gone again._


	11. Well They Encourage Your Complete Cooperation!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faith faces Duncan leaving again, but this time, she has one little glimmer of hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been stuck on this chapter for so damn long. Since December. I’m finally just ending it so I can move on. As a result, this is my shortest chapter yet, and I apologize. I hope the next will be more back to the norm.

The key in her hand was not for the Duke of Death. Faith Avadonia knew this just from looking at it, but she double checked, just to be sure. The key was familiar, dancing on the edge of her mind. Like a dream that she could just barely remember, alluding the forefront of her thoughts the more she tried. 

Who the hell pays attention to _keys?_

The only option was to look in the bunker to see if he left something behind. A clue, or something. Maybe the vehicle it belonged to. 

The black semi truck at the back of the bunker caught her eye pretty quickly. The key however didn’t turn the ignition, so that was a dud. As she went to continue her search however, she noticed that the back of the trailer itself was unlocked. Curious as to why Duncan could need such a large trailer for, Faith stepped in. 

The inside was huge, like a very luxurious Winnebago. Enough room for at least six people, very comfortably, along with a gun modification table and what appeared to be a car storage deck with…

Faith’s heart rose to her throat as she clutched the key Duncan has given to her in her palm. The Double T. Of coarse the key was familiar. The Double T, though not a particularly expensive or flashy motorcycle, was Duncan’s favourite vehicle. His prized possession. Faith had seen Duncan shed blood over this bike, on more than one occasion. 

Sure enough, the key fit into the ignition, turned, and the bike roared to life. Faith sat on it for a moment, feeling it rumble beneath her. Feeling the memories coasting through her mind. 

Duncan loved this bike more than any vehicle he owned. So much so, he attempted to start a motorcycle gang with just him and her. Blood was spilled when people messed with his bike. The key to the Double T may as well have been the key to his heart. 

It was a vow. Duncan was coming back. Faith was sure of it. 

She carefully, carefully drove it out of the trailer and took it home with her. 

—————————————————————

“Faith?”

“Yes, Tony?”

“Where oh where is the bodyguard we hired for you?”

“Busy. And he may be busy for a… undisclosed amount of time.” Faith didn’t take her eyes off the screen. 

“Don’t tell me you finally scared him off!”

“Nope. I don’t think I could if I tried.”

“Didn’t think so. Not with the way he is with you.” Gay Tony scoffed. 

“Hey, what does that mean?”

“You haven’t figured it out yet?” Gay Tony put a hand over his heart. “Oh, honey…”

Faith finally turned. “What?”

“... Nothing. You’ll figure it out. Eventually.” Gay Tony gave her a smirk, turning back to his own work. 

“What?!” Her exclamation was met with a smug silence. “Tony!”

“You’ll find out. Eventually.” 

Faith groaned, leaning back in her chair. “I hate when you’re cryptic. Fuck you.”

“No thank you, sweetheart. I don’t swing that way.” 

“Yeah yeah. Asshole.” Faith turned back to her desktop, looking at the picture of her and Duncan. All she could hope for was his safe return. Until then, she planned on keeping a low head, and not stirring the shit pot. 

“By the way, this came in the mail. It’s a ways out, but I thought it would be a good ‘mingle and get the word about us’ kinda thing.” Tony held up a black envelope, with faint silver writing on the front. 

“Hm?” Faith looked, grabbing the envelope. The fancy lettering glinted under fluorescent lighting, reading ‘The Diamond Casino.’

“That casino they’ve been building for years?”

“Yeah. They’re finally opening. But first, they’re having a big pre-open soirée with a bunch of business owners and high class elitists so they can talk it up.”

“O… Kay… so why would they invite us?”

Gay Tony stared at her. “Because we’re business owners, you dumb blonde.”

“I’m not even blon- you know what. Fair enough. But cut me some slack, shit’s been tough lately.” Faith played with the ends of her black hair. 

“Did the blood loss cause brain damage too?”

“Rude. Why don’t you and your husband go?”

“Nah. I’m just your manager, and you need to learn how to host and get yourself out there. Besides, I’m sure you and Duncan will have fun together.”

“If he’s even back by then…” Faith muttered. 

“Three months is plenty of time. He’ll be back.”

Faith wasn’t too sure. 

—————————————————————

“So let me get this straight. You pulled me back to watch some nut job from a distance?” Duncan crossed his arms over his chest, tapping a finger against his arm impatiently. 

“I’m telling you, that man is a menace. Also, who the fuck are you to question orders? Remember your place. Unless you want that pretty little thing you were hanging around with to just… Disappear. I hear quite a few people would like her tied up in an obscure closet somewhere, these days.”

Duncan gritted his teeth. He knew if he retaliated, it would only get worse. But his blood boiled at even the thought. 

He wouldn’t allow it. Agent 14 wouldn’t lay a finger on her, he’d make absolute sure of it. She wouldn’t be hurt by him and his operation again. 

“Now, if you don’t have any other complaints, get a move on, Soldier.”

 

“...Roger.”


End file.
